A love-sick beaver has felled trees and left a trail of destruction in a desperate effort to find a mate.

A massive search operation was launched today to track down the rodent, who escaped from his enclosure in a Devon farm by climbing over an electric fence. He is now over 20 miles away, across the county border in Cornwall.

The beaver has gnawed his way through a swathe of trees on a one-and-a-half mile stretch of a river bank in a bid to build the perfect dam to attract a female.Locals had noticed fallen trees bearing the markings of beaver teeth - but experts were baffled as the animals have been extinct in England for the past 800 years.

The six-stone male had escaped from its enclosure with two female beavers which were recaptured shortly after. The animal's conservationist owner, Derek Gow, is now laying a series of humane traps to try to recapture it.

Mr Gow, who keeps 24 beavers under licence from Government agency Natural England, revealed that the 'docile and family-orientated' beaver is living on a 1.2mile stretch of the River Tamar.

He said: 'I know where it is - that's not the problem. The problem is he has established a mile-long territory.

'Beavers haven't lived here since the 13th century and so beaver traps are in short supply. They don't exactly sell them at B&Q.

'We've made our own traps out of steel and aluminium - wood is no good for a beaver trap for obvious reasons. He'd gnaw his way out.'The trap contains female scent which we think may work because he must be lonely and is searching for a partner.

'He can't build a dam because the River Tamar is far too wide for one furry rodent. He's obviously dug a small hole in the riverbank to live in.

'It is one of those things that happen. It's not something anyone wanted to happen, but it has happened.'

Mr Gow's beavers live in a large reserve, which includes a pond, woodland and small river. He believes that the animals escaped after heavy rain caused the water to rise and an electric fence short-circuited.

'We've checked the fence,' he said. 'We can't find any holes at all. We can't think of any other way they might have got out.

'The first two, both females, didn't get far, and settled in a small oxbow lake. The male, apparently looking for love, had other ideas and has river-hopped his way down to Gunnislake.'Mr Gow is now working with Natural England to track down the beaver using 'honeytraps' - boxes marked with a female beaver's scent.

He said: 'It will require five or six at least and we've got traps being made up at the moment. They have two doors at either end and a sensitive plate inside.

'Hopefully using the scent from one of the female beavers, we'll be able to catch the male beaver fairly quickly.'

The eight-year-old beaver was brought to the UK five years ago from Bavaria. He is a herbivore and stays within 50m of the water.

Beavers were hunted to extinction in England and Wales during the 12th century and disappeared from the rest of the country 400 years later. They were hunted for their fur and throat glands, which were believed to have medicinal properties.

Mr Gow said: 'They do chop trees down, but you've got to remember that this is a native animal to this country.

'In the Middle Ages, it was an incredibly valuable animal to kill. If you could kill a beaver, it would be three years' wages.

'That's why there are no beavers any more. It is a native animal and should be here. They are an absolute elemental part of wetland ecology.

'The law is we have to catch him. Natural England are perfectly aware of what is happening and are aware we will deal with it as quickly as we can.'

Several of Mr Gow's beavers are in quarantine for six months before release into the wild in Scotland, as part of a Scottish Executive-approved reintroduction programme.

Earlier this year, 12 baby beavers were born at a reserve at the Lower Mill Estate near Cirencester, Gloucestershire - the first in Britain in 400 years.

In July, a pair of beavers built what is believed to be the first dam in England for centuries at Escot House, near Ottery St Mary, Devon.

The estate has been working to reintroduce the animals on the site for three years and they are kept in an enclosure to prevent them from escaping into the wild.

Over recent years, 15 beavers have been reintroduced to England and Natural England is considering a plan to release 20 into the wild.